Things to Do in Bangladesh
Activities to Do in Bangladesh
Trek to Bangla Mountains, Visit to Cox’s Bazar, Enjoy Snorkeling, Explore Saint Martin’s Island, Take a sneak Peek to Tiger’s Den at The Sundarbans, A Long walk in the Sylhet Tea Gardens, Bike riding at the Marine Drive Road, and many more.Things to do in Bangladesh are a fascinating blend of visits to famous attractions, amazing natural wonders and exhilarating activities that can get your adrenaline pumping. While here you can explore the largest river delta in the world, enjoy a close encounter with the Royal Bengal Tiger or take long leisurely walks on the longest natural beach in the world.
Wondering what to do in Bangladesh? Check this list of activities that would surely astound you. Try spelunking and explore the natural caves of Alutila, Kudum and Ali’s Caves. After a full day of sightseeing, spare sometime to check out the nightclubs of Dhaka or indulge in some tantalizing Bangladeshi cuisine, especially the sweets.
Get your dose of adrenaline with some adventure activities in Bangladesh. You can choose to go snorkelling or scuba diving in Saint Martin’s or go for a long bike ride along the Marine Drive Road. Also try out water sports such as banana boat rides or parasailing at Cox Beach. If you are looking for some relaxing time then a leisurely walk in the sprawling tea gardens of Sylhet are just the thing for you. Or maybe spend some quiet time exploring the ancient Armenian Church in Dhaka.
You can also find here miles of golden sands, surfing waves, towering cliffs, rare conch shells, waterfalls, pagodas, and parks. Aggmeda Khyang, which is a huge Buddhist monastery, is the major attraction of Cox's Bazar, containing ancient manuscripts and large bronze Buddha pictures.
Location: Bay of Bengal, Cox's Bazar Bangladesh
Highlights: Restaurants, hotels, monasteries, waterfalls, pagodas.
It also has a beautiful beach where you can soak the sun and enjoy many water sports activities. You can spend the night on a houseboat that is parked on the rivers in different forest areas. It also has several wildlife sanctuaries where you can watch deers, monkeys, tigers, and other animals.
Location: Khulna, Khulna City 9100 Bangladesh
Highlights: Wildlife sanctuaries, Irrawaddy dolphins, Jamtola Beach, watchtower
It is a prime eco-tourism destination that boasts of untouched flora and fauna and the highest waterfalls. Cycling around in its beautiful tea estates or exploring the nearby villages and forests is considered to be an amazing experience in itself.
Location: Sylhet Division, North Eastern, Bangladesh
Highlights: Tea estates, tribal villages, hiking trails, forests
Pari Bibi's tomb is the most impressive and has the best floral architectural works of the Lalbagh Fort. There are beautiful gardens and green fields inside the fort that are dotted with colorful flowers and green spaces.
Location: Lalbagh Rd, Dhaka City 1211 Bangladesh
Highlights: Pari Bibi's tomb, gardens, green fields, mosque
Hanging Bridge, Rangamati Water Front, and Rajban Bihar Pagoda are the most popular attractions in Rangamati. You can meet with the tribal villagers, including Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Murong, Tanchangya, Bome, Khumi, Chak, Pankhoa, Kheyang, and Lusai over here.
Location: Lalbagh Rd, Dhaka City 1211 Bangladesh
Highlights: Tribal villages, hanging bridge, Rangamati Water Front
The largest Buddhist Temple, Buddha Dhatu Jadi, is also situated in the Bandarban district of Bangladesh. Boga lake is the highest natural lake in Bandarban that attracts nature lovers in a magnetic way.
Highlights: Buddha Dhatu Jadi, Boga lake
You can also go scuba diving or hire a speed boat and take a tour around the island. There are many restaurants and beach shacks here where you can enjoy local fresh seafood.
Location: Saint Martin Island, Tecnaf, Coxbazar, 97150 Bangladesh
Highlights: Beach sports, a bonfire, and beach parties
This ancient site is over twelve hundred years old, and the structures are completely destroyed here. It has played an important role in the rise of Vajrayana, which is a new branch of Buddhism and still the dominant form practiced in Tibet.
Location: Mymensingh Zl, Dhaka Div, Bangladesh
Highlights: Somapura Mahavihara monastery, Vajrayana Buddhism
The beach is nineteen miles long and four miles wide and is part of the Sundarban forest. Gangamati Reserved Forest is a mangrove forest in the Kuakata with different kinds of wildlife and trees. During the festivals like Maghi Purnima and Rush Purnima, many Hindu devotees take a holy bath on this beach.
Location: Patuakhali, Bangladesh
Highlights: Gangamati Reserved Forest, diving, sunset, sunrise
While tourists enjoy swimming and other water based activities here, people are also attracted towards the scenic backdrop it provides for their pictures.
Highlights: Shallow pools, hidden in forest, safe location, picnic area, perfect for photographers
Bagerhat
It is one of the best places to visit in Bangladesh that houses around fifty medieval mosques, mausoleums, and an open-air museum of Asian Muslim architectural heritage. One of the most popular attractions here is Chandra Mahal Eco Park that has been built on about thirty acres of land and is renowned for its architectural beauty.
Location: Khulna Division, Bangladesh
Highlights: Chandra Mahal Eco Park, Shrine of Hazrat Khan Jahan
You can also visit the Folk Arts and Crafts Museum, where the fabrics in Sonargaon have been displayed beautifully. If you're looking for eternal bliss, you can visit the fifteenth-century Goladi mosque that is the only structure from the medieval period remaining in this area.
Location: 29 km from Dhaka, Dhaka City Bangladesh
Highlights: Goaldi mosque, Folk Arts and Crafts Museum
Comilla
The district is renowned for Khadi or Khaddar fabric and pottery. The seventh-century Shalban Buddhist Bihar is the most popular attraction in this district, with one hundred and fifteen cells for monks. You can also visit Maynamati War Cemetery, built in memory of forty-five thousand Commonwealth soldiers who died in Burma's war.
Highlights: Maynamati War Cemetery, Shalban Buddhist Bihar
Bogra
It contains the remnants of a city which was called Paundravardhanapura or Pundranagara in the ancient period. Panch Peer Mazar, Gokul Medh, Jogir Babhan, and Kherua Mosque are the popular attractions in Bogra.
Highlights: Muhammad Ali Palace Museum, Hindu temples
Gaur
During the twelfth to the fourteenth century, it was a wealthy city, but it lost all its charm later due to cholera. If you visit this city, you'll find some beautiful mosques hidden behind the mango orchards. Baroduari Mosque is the prime attraction here that is a massive rectangular structure made of brick and wood.
Highlights: Dakhil Darwaza, Feroze Minar, Baroduari Mosque
Barisal
In monsoon, the canals are rivers that become full of water, and you can buy your favorite fruits from floating guava markets. The most accessible and beautiful parts of the backwaters are Kuriana Upazilla and Atghar.
Highlights: Floating markets, schools, villages
Puthia
It has many other beautifully ornamented temples with gold and terracotta plaster, which describes epic Hindu stories. You can also visit the Puthia palace that exhibits Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture and was the residence place for the Puthia Raj families.
Highlights: Puthia palace, Shiva Temple
The interiors of this building resemble a modern cathedral with pure geometric elements and windows that allow natural light to enter in the form of rectangles and circles. The complex has been divided into three parts- The Presidential Plaza, The South Plaza, and The Main Plaza. You cannot enter the main building as it is reserved only for the officials and authorized members of Parliament.
Location: Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka City Bangladesh
Highlights: Prime Minister's residence, MP hostel, lake
The palace declined with the end of British rule, and the government opened it as a museum for the people. Inside the museum, the visitors can learn about the Bengali Nawab's culture and lifestyle. There is a huge ballroom inside the museum that houses many beautiful paintings and artifacts.
Location: Old City Old Dhaka, Dhaka City, Bangladesh
Highlights: Paintings, artifacts
The museum is housed in a three-storied building with various displays in six galleries. The galleries exhibit the personal belongings of the freedom fighters and martyred intellectuals.
Location: Sher-e Bangla Nagar, Civic Centre, Agargaon, Dhaka
Highlights: Rare photographs, newspaper clippings, documents
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Bangladesh Things To Do FAQs
What are the best things to do in Bangladesh?
1. Trek to Bangla Mountains: Bangladesh as a country is relatively new to the trend of trekking but they do have quite a few spectacular peaks that would attract all kinds of the trekkers from around the world. The highest peak in Bangladesh is Saka Haphong at 1063 meters and the trails that lead to its summit starts from Ruma and Thanchi in Bandarbans.
Keokradong is another peak in Bangladesh that has gained immense popularity amongst avid trekkers in the past decade. This particular trekking trail is considered the birthplace of outdoor activity in the country.
Location: Bandarbans
2. Visit to Cox’s Bazar: Cox Bazar has a 120 km long beach which is listed as one of the longest natural sand sea beaches in the world. Taking a moonlit walk along the Cox Bazar Beach is one of the best things to do in Bangladesh. This is one of the most popular places to visit in the country and it is divided into several sections.
Some of the most popular sections of this long stretch of sandy beach of the Bay of Bengal are Humchari Beach, Inani Beach and Laboni Beach. While here you can also visit the Aggameda Khyang, a Burmese style monastery built in 1898.
Location: Cox Bazar District.
3. Enjoy Snorkeling: Snorkelling and scuba diving activities in Bangladesh are fairly new here and the best place where you can indulge in this activity is at Saint Martin’s Island. This is the only place where you can find corals along with several other species of marine lives in Bangladesh. There are two marine parks in Saint Martin’s and several tours are undertaken to explore the wonders of the underwater world here.
It is important to note that for snorkelling here you will need to know basic swimming. You will find a wide variety of corals such as elkhorn corals and several other species of marine lives like vibrant colored fishes, turtles, lobsters, Spanish hogfish, queen conch, etc.
Location: Cox Bazar District.
4. Explore Saint Martin’s Island: Saint Martin is the only coral island in Bangladesh with excellent opportunities for snorkelling. The island follows the administration of two countries and this has ultimately led to the development of two marine parks. Both these parks have immensely helped the marine flora and fauna to thrive without any danger in this part of the ocean.
The parks also present some of the best snorkelling activities in Bangladesh. There are mooring buoys in several places to ensure no damage is caused to any of the underwater lives due to anchorage. Some of the most popular species found here are the queen conch, elkhorn corals, surgeonfish, Spanish hogfish, turtles, lobsters, and several colorful fishes.
Location: Cox Bazar District.
5. Take a sneak Peek to Tiger’s Den at The Sundarbans: The Sundarbans is one of the largest mangrove areas in the world and it is formed by the confluence of the Rivers Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna. The Sundarbans is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna including the famous Royal Bengal Tiger. Other unique varieties of wildlife found here are the Irrawaddy Dolphins, estuarine crocodiles and the River Terrapin a river turtle.
There are several complex networks of waterways and mudflats that weave their way around the mangroves of the Sundarbans. Exploring these various waterways should definitely be on the top of your what to do in Bangladesh list.
Location: South-west Bangladesh
6. A Long walk in the Sylhet Tea Gardens: Sylhet region of Bangladesh is famous for its lush green tea gardens and is considered the tea capital of Bangladesh. This is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country and taking a long walk along one of these beautiful gardens is one of the best things to do in Bangladesh.
The famous Surma Valley is filled with terraces of tea gardens and lush green tropical forests that are absolutely breathtaking. You can also visit the Madhabpur Dam from where you can get a spectacular view of the Madhabkunda Waterfall, Jaflong zero point and Shrines of Hazarat Shahjalal.
Location: Sylhet Bangladesh
7. Bike riding at the Marine Drive Road: If you are wondering what to do in Bangladesh to make your trip more interesting then a bike ride along the Marine Drive Road is just the thing for you. Marine Drive Road is an 80 km long road that connects Cox Bazar and Teknaf. The entire route is a spectacular combination of mountain scenery on one side and endless sea views on the other.
You can choose your ride between a rented motorbike, jo-bike or tuk tuk to enjoy your experience. The drive will take you past several popular beaches and there are some places along the way that offer water sports activities such as banana boat rides, parasailing, jet skiing, etc.
Location: Cox Bazar District.
8. Explore the Alutila, Kudum and Ali’s Cave: Bangladesh has quite a few natural caves that are just waiting to be explored. If you enjoy spelunking then indulge in a combined tour of the Alutila, Kudum and Ali’s Cave to kick off your bucket list of things to do in Bangladesh. Alutila Cave is located in the Matiranga Upazila district of Khagrachari and the cave itself is formed inside the Alutila Hill.
The cave is a perfect destination for adventure lovers as few have explored the depth of these caves. Kudum Cave is famous as Bat Cave and is located within the protected Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary. The cave is home to two different species of bats, a variety of snails, cave fishes in the underpools and three species of spiders. Ali’s Cave is named after the nearby village Alikadam and there are two entrances to the cave. The trail is slightly rough but made easy with the help of wooden ladders.
Location: Khagrachari, Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary and Alikadam Village.
9. Seek blessings at Armenian Church: The Armenian Church in Dhaka is the most prominent and historic heritage of the ancient Armenian community living in Bangladesh. The Church is about 75 feet in length with white and yellow trim. The main hall has a magnificent painting of The Last Supper which is the highlight of this ancient monument.
Take the spiral staircase up to the roof and enjoy a view of the entire churchyard and the burial ground attached to it. On your trip to Dhaka do add a visit to the Armenian Church in your list of things to do in Bangladesh.
Location: 218 Mitford Rd, Dhaka 1100
10. See Lalbagh Fort: This half completed Fort and its beautifully maintained gardens is one of the best attractions in Dhaka. The construction of this Fort was started in 1677 under the principality of the third son of Aurangzeb, Prince Mohammad Azam. But it never completed due to the death of the successor’s daughter Pari Bibi. However, there are three monuments within the Fort complex that have been completed.
These are the Quilla Mosque with three domes, the Mausoleum of Pari Bibi and the Diwan or Hall of Audience. The Diwan is the only monument open to the public but it definitely has some beautiful Mughal miniature paintings, elegant carpets, ancient coins, swords and firearms.
Location: Lalbagh Rd, Dhaka 1211
What are the best adventure activities to do in Bangladesh?
1. Snorkelling and Scuba diving in Bangladesh - This is one of the best adventure things to do in Bangladesh. You can indulge in snorkelling and scuba diving in Saint Martin where there are two marine parks. These marine parks have been specially developed for preservation of the marine flora and fauna in this area.
This is also the only place in Bangladesh where you can find corals.
2. Explore caves in Bangladesh - Bangladesh has some fascinating natural caves that are just waiting to be explored. The most famous caves in the country for tourists are Alutila Caves, Kudum Caves and Ali’s Cave. Kudum is also known as Bat Cave and is home to two varieties of bats.
Alutila Cave is one of the best natural caves in the country that attracts adventure spelunkers from around the country and the world.
3. Bike ride along Marine Drive Road - Hire a motorbike, a jo-bike or cycles and get set to enjoy a thrilling ride along the Marine Drive Road. The best part of this ride is the spectacular scenery that you get to enjoy as you go.
There are lush green rolling hills on one side of the road and the endless blue sea on the other. The ride itself is exhilarating and it is about 80 km in length.
4. Trek to Bangla Mountains - Trekking is a comparatively new trend in Bangladesh. However, the country’s terrain is blessed with several mountains that are truly worthy of any avid trekker’s time. The highest peak is Saka Haphong and its trails to the summit starts from Ruma and Thanchi in Bandarbans.
The most popular trekking trail here is the one that leads to the summit of the popular Keokradong Peak. Other famous peaks here include Tajingdong Peak, Kapital in the Keokradong range, Tin Matha, Sippy Arsuang and Dumlong Peak.
What are the best things to do in Bangladesh at night?
1. Explore the nightclubs of Dhaka - Dhaka comes alive at night and the pubs and nightclubs reverberates with its fun and trendy atmosphere. One of the most popular nightclubs with a very lively night scene is Blue Moon Recreation Club. Good food, live music and great ambience is what most of the popular nightclubs in Dhaka Bangladesh offer.
2. Treat yourself to a variety of cuisines - Bangladesh has great places to enjoy some truly mouthwatering treats at night. Places like the Hotel Al-Razzaq are open all night and offer a wide variety of kebabs, drinks and several delectable Mughlai dishes.
Sample several varieties of the famous rasgullas in the sweet shops of Dhaka and other mouth watering sweets. You can also try out local delicacies in traditional places like the Nirob Hotel Restaurant.
3. Enjoy various forms of entertainment - If you are looking for traditional performances and music then the best place to do so is Chhayanaut Auditorium. This is the cultural hub of Dhaka and organizes excellent performances.
Catch a movie at the best cinema complex in Dhaka, the Star Cineplex. The Jatra Biroti Lounge has events such as the Jatra Biroti Musical Show, art promotions and other music festivals for its visitors.
How to reach Bangladesh?
By Air - Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh has direct flights connected to over 27 countries worldwide. It is well connected with major cities across the globe with regular flights scheduled on a daily basis.
By Road - Bangladesh can be accessed by road only from India. You can travel by road to Bangladesh from two points - Benapole in West Bengal and Chilihati from Darjeeling.
What is the best time to visit Bangladesh?
October to February is the best time to visit Bangladesh. November to February is winter time in Bangladesh and the weather is perfect for all kinds of sightseeing and outdoor activities. March and April is a good time to visit the Chittagong region of Bangladesh.
Is Bangladesh safe?
Bangladesh is relatively safe to travel but you will need to practice basic safety rules while traveling. Travellers to Bangladesh should be careful of petty criminals such as pickpockets, touts and other types of scammers which is quite common in cities like Dhaka.
You need to exercise caution while travelling at night. However, this would be true of any place which you can travel.
What is Bangladesh known for?
Bangladesh is well known for having the world’s largest river delta which is formed by the confluence of the River Ganga and River Brahmaputra. It is also home to the famous Royal Bengal Tiger that roams the marshlands of the Sundarbans.
Bangladesh has the world’s longest uninterrupted sea beach in Cox Bazar Beach which is 150 km in length. This country is also famous for its ancient historical city, Panam City; Muslin gauze and the oldest tea estates in the subcontinent.
What to buy in Bangladesh?
The best buys from Bangladesh include the traditional Bengali Jamdani sarees, beautiful brass, leather and bamboo products made by local artisans; ceramic wares; jewellery and the beautifully unique pink pearls.
Is it safe to visit Bangladesh?
Yes Bangladesh is safe to visit. You just need to exercise caution while visiting crowded places as there are several cases of pickpocketing here.
How to reach Bangladesh from India?
You can travel by air, rail or road from India to Bangladesh.
By Air - Direct flights to Dhaka are available from various cities in India including Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai.
By Rail - Trains are available from Delhi to Dhaka via Sealdah, DumDum, Kolkata and Belgachia. The Maitree Express connects Kolkata and Dhaka cantonment.
By Bus - You can also travel to Bangladesh from India by government and private buses.
How many days do you need in Bangladesh?
5 to 7 days is enough to explore all that Bangladesh has to offer in leisure. Plan your vacation such that you get to explore the longest natural beach in the world as well as see the oldest Armenian Church in Bangladesh.
